Alexa+ comes to new Fire TV devices with AI-powered conversations
Amazon announced new Fire TV devices, 4K Stick, and Alexa+ AI features for TV viewers.
Streaming
Spotify founder Daniel Ek is stepping down as CEO
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has announced that he’s stepping down as CEO, two decades after founding the music streaming service. Ek will transition to an executive chairman role at the company on January 1st, 2026, with Spotify co-presidents Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström set to step in as co-CEOs. “As Executive Chairman, I will spend […]
YouTube caves to Trump with $24.5 million settlement
YouTube has settled a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed against the company in 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal. Trump filed sweeping lawsuits against Google-owned YouTube, Meta (then Facebook), and X (then Twitter) after he was suspended from the platforms, and now all three companies have settled with the president. YouTube will pay $24.5 […]
I need a life cool enough for the new GoPro
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 99, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, happy pumpkin spice season, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Lizzo and Uniqlo and book thieves and Max Verstappen, […]
YouTube’s new AI experiment adds AI hosts to your music
YouTube is adding AI hosts to radio and mixes in the YouTube Music app as part of a new test available through its new Labs program. The hosts are designed to “deepen your listening experience by sharing relevant stories, fan trivia, and fun commentary about your favorite music,” YouTube says in a blog post. If […]
Amazon accidentally confirms Vega TV OS launch for 2025
This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. Amazon is moving ahead with plans to replace Android with its custom-built Vega operating system on Fire TV devices: The new Linux-based system will launch on TV streaming hardware before […]
Spotify to label AI music, filter spam and more in AI policy change
Spotify is launching a music spam filter, labeling AI tracks, and clarifying its rules around AI voice clones.
Jessica Chastain says she and Apple are ‘not aligned’ on decision to halt The Savant
Just a day after Apple announced that it was pausing the premiere of The Savant, its upcoming show about domestic extremism, star Jessica Chastain says that she disagrees with the decision. In a lengthy statement on Instagram, Chastain said that while the team at Apple TV Plus are “incredible collaborators … we’re not aligned on […]
YouTube will now let you hide those pesky end screens
YouTube will finally let you dismiss the pop-ups that fill your screen with recommendations at the end of a video. Now, when you come across an end screen, you can select a new “hide” button in the top-right corner of the video so you can finish what you’re watching without distractions. YouTube says it’s making […]
Disney sure picked a terrible time to raise prices
Disney is in a tangled web of its own making. In just one week, the entertainment giant managed to anger both sides of the political spectrum, and then topped it all off with a Disney Plus price hike that made just about everyone mad. Now, Disney’s facing criticism from all sides, and it may struggle […]